Standing on the Deck Below

There’s not much difference
Between hope and a hop,
Not in English and not

In the actual act
Of taking a small jump,
Believing in the ground

That will scoop you, the arms
That will stagger but hold
Up under your landing.

No? Is hope less certain?
Well, that’s what the silent
E on the end is for—

Hope takes longer, is more
Drawn out, more aria,
Less plosive, a bit less

Aspirational. Hope
Holds that silence that says,
Catch me, still, if you fall.